Sustainable and Futuristic Car Designs at the Royal College of Art

The annual Royal College of Art Graduate Summer Show is the place to look for innovation. The College has a department of Vehicle Design which is "pioneering new approaches for our mobile futures." This year several students presented prototypes for sustainable automobiles. They were thinking about the future and what green consumers and car enthusiasts would be looking for.

Jonathon Henshall's entry is concerned with sustainability and what a green vehicle should look like. He thinks that car manufacturers and consumers want a car that projects a green image and he was examining how to communicate this green-ness. His light and airy car consists of 4 strips of wood and fabric surrounding an electric motor. The fabric is covered with resin so that the rain doesn't permeate the inside. He believes that designers have an opportunity and a responsibility to explore what sustainability can look like in the main stream. His work is exploratory and theoretical, and explores a visual direction for a sustainable vehicle.

Hong Yeo always loved Lego and the fact that it is always usable--a set from the '50's still works. "Honesty, simplicity and social responsibility" are at the core of his brief--"achieving sustainability through a new perception of vehicles inspired by London and Lego.

He thinks that manufacturers are always trying to cram in all the latest technologies into their cars. Instead, his modular shape has evolved from his use of honest, simple materials. His car is inspired by the modularity of Lego, it is made of simple shapes and it can be (theoretically) built at home or in the factory. Royal College of Art